It’s very rare to find someone completely satisfied with the speed of their VPN. Normally when that happens they’re using a Sabai VPN Router paired with a Sabai Technology VPN Accelerator. However, for those customers just looking for a little bit of help, we have some links to direct you to for some help, as well as these troubleshooting tips from an older blog post.
Note: This is an advanced topic. Please do not change settings on your VPN or your Sabai VPN Router that you are not comfortable with. Sabai Technology support is happy to help you, should you need it. Just email us at Support@SabaiTechnology.com or open a ticket from our website!TCP vs. UDP
The difference between these two OpenVPN protocols is the speed and accuracy in which they transmit your data. TCP is extremely accurate, but has much more overhead which slows it down. UDP is focused on speed, rather than accuracy. But, like most things in VPN, there are more factors to consider.
Speed vs. Accuracy
So when is speed more important than accuracy? Video streaming is a great example of a need where speed is more important than accuracy. A few missing pieces of data aren’t going to be noticeable in a video stream but if you are downloading your tax return information … a few missing pieces of data is very important! Consider the way you will be using your OpenVPN connection. There is no right or wrong answer, but every user should prioritize speed and accuracy and choose the appropriate protocol.
Port 53
If your VPN provider allows you to change your port, and you have been having trouble with throttling or blockage, try 53. This port is used for lots of different things around the world and is difficult to block.
Where to Start
The Sabai Technology Technical Support Team suggests that if you are having speed issues, try TCP and port 53 first. This may seem counter-intuitive, but, the reports from the field show that many ISP’s handle TCP better.
Depending on your location, you may find that TCP just won’t connect for you. If that is the case, try UDP and port 443.
How To
The exact “how” is going to change, depending on your provider. Generally, you will log in to the customer area of your VPN provider and under your OpenVPN options look for something like, “change protocol port”. If you are a StrongVPN customer, they have an excellent tutorial on exactly how to change your port.
Remember, if you are running your .ovpn file on a Sabai Technology router, a change like this will require a new download/upload of your file to the router before the change will be complete. Be sure to stop the current VPN running before you make any changes because we’d hate for you to lose your internet connection on accident!
Have questions for our tech support? Book an appointment or send an e-mail! And while you’re at it, check out some of these links!
MTU Troubleshooting- http://blog.sabaitechnology.com/advanced-speed-troubleshooting-mtu/
Single Device Speed Killer- http://blog.sabaitechnology.com/troubleshoot-tuesday-device-speed-killer/
Time Speed Help- http://blog.sabaitechnology.com/troubleshoot-tuesday-possible-speed-help/
